A Malaysian Sultan has issued a fatwa prohibiting non-Muslims from using the word "Allah" in Arabic.

The Sultan of the Malaysian state of Selangor, Sharafuddin Idris Shah, issued the prohibition on Tuesday, according to the Lebanon Debate newspaper. Malaysian media have reported that the prohibition has been put in place by the Islamic leader because it is a "sacred word," and should be reserved exclusively for Muslims, according to MidEast Christian News.

The sultan has ordered the Islamic Council of Selangor and the Islamic Affairs Department in the state to take strict action against all groups that question the fatwa and the 1988 Ordinance, which prohibits the use of the word "Allah" in Arabic [by non-Muslims].

The organization representing Protestant churches in Malaysia commented on the decision by saying that Christians in the country have been using the word "Allah" when referring to God for centuries, and they plan to continue to exercise their constitutional right.

Lawyers from a related "Allah" case in 2009, in which a Christian woman challenged the government's confiscation of her religious CDs as they had "Allah" written on them, said that the fatwa goes against the court's decision in that 2009 case.

It also highlights another similar case that ruled Christians would be allowed to import and use bibles in any language. However, according to MCN, that court decision was "followed by a wave of religious violence that swept the country."

The dominant religion in Malaysia is Islam, whose followers make up 61.4 percent of the population, according to the Population and Housing Census of 2010. Islam is recognized as the state religion of Malaysia, although the country has a secular constitution. The country has often seen politics become entwined with religion, leading numerous debates to take place on whether Malaysia should be an Islamic or secular state.

According to the 2010 Census, the religious make-up of Malaysia is: 61.4% Islam, 17.8% Buddhism, 9.2% Christian, 6.3% Hinduism, and just over 3% other. Only 0.7% of the population confess to having no religious following. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the country's constitution, however, in practice it faces many restrictions. For example, a Malay must be a Muslim. Although non-Malays are more free to practice various faiths, however, if a non-Malay has converted to Islam they technically are prohibited from leaving the faith.

In addition, children born to Muslim parents are considered Muslim, and are prohibited from converting. If a Muslim does attempt to convert to other religions, they can face punishment by state governments, with punishments reportedly including fines and/or imprisonment.

"The organization representing Protestant churches in Malaysia commented on the decision by saying that Christians in the country have been using the word "Allah" when referring to God for centuries, and they plan to continue to exercise their constitutional right."

Good for them.

15
posted on 01/11/2013 2:44:24 PM PST
by uncommonsense
(Conservatives believe what they see; Liberals see what they believe.)

Just as well. The Christian God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is NOT Allah

Yet it is. Allah simply means "God" in Arabic. Arab Christians were calling God "Allah" before Islam existed, and they still do today.

I've seen an infinite number of claims to the contrary on FR, of course, but simply asserting something you want to believe doesn't make it true. Arab Christians are running around today routinely using the term "Allah" for God and they don't care what you think or assert.

You don't realize that "Allah" has been used by Arabic Christians since... well since virtually the beginning of Christianity. Your comment would be akin to saying Japanese Christians are talking about pagan gods because the 'kami' in "kami-sama" is their word for god and was applied to 'gods'.

20
posted on 01/11/2013 2:54:55 PM PST
by OneWingedShark
(Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)

>>You don’t realize that “Allah” has been used by Arabic Christians since... well since virtually the beginning of Christianity. Your comment would be akin to saying Japanese Christians are talking about pagan gods because the ‘kami’ in “kami-sama” is their word for god and was applied to ‘gods’.<<

Correction: Allah simply means "God" "god" in Arabic. Maybe it will be good for Arab Christians to start using a different word for God. And I don't believe for one minute that Arab-speaking Jews use the term Allah, they have a beautiful selection of Hebrew names for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

23
posted on 01/11/2013 3:00:57 PM PST
by Former Fetus
(Saved by grace through faith)

And I don't believe for one minute that Arab-speaking Jews use the term Allah, they have a beautiful selection of Hebrew names for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

When they speak Hebrew, sure. But when they speak in Arabic, they say "Allah," just as English-speaking Jews use the word "God." (Incidentally, the Hebrew word for "God," elohim, is from the same Semitic root as "Allah" (a-l-h).

I was once at a Passover Seder with some Jews of Middle Eastern descent, and they sang some of the Passover songs in Arabic, and used the word "Allah."

What I said, stands, however. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is not the same as the Muslim Allah. There are numerous differences in the biblical and Koranic accounts.

Perhaps Allah was the word for God before Mohammed appeared on the scene, but unfortunately the Mohammedans took over and abused the word. Since it’s doubtful that they will give up using “Allah,” it would save giving the mistaken impression that these Gods are the same if a different word were used.

Yes, the abuse is on the Muslim side. But it is simply not the case that Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are equally monotheistic religions. The Muslims do not worship the biblical God, but a false invention of their own.

The word “allah” has been co-opted to mean the god of Islam. I cannot imagine why any Christian would want to use that word! In a completely different scale, it is the same reason why I don’t fly a confederate flag in my front yard; I live in an area of the country where rednecks and, yes, the clan have co-opted the confederate flag. But seriously, would you call the Lord Allah and risk have people misunderstand Who you are talking about?

32
posted on 01/11/2013 3:54:41 PM PST
by Former Fetus
(Saved by grace through faith)

I don’t know about Jews elsewhere, but it seems to me that in the US most Jews speak English but use Hebrew names like HaShem to refer to God. It seems to me like Arabic-speaking Jews would also use Hebrew names for God. And, so what if Elohim and Allah have the same semitic roots? Elohim is the plural of El, God almighty. Like so many Freepers have already said in this forum, Allah is another name for Satan!

33
posted on 01/11/2013 4:01:04 PM PST
by Former Fetus
(Saved by grace through faith)

“But seriously, would you call the Lord Allah and risk have people misunderstand Who you are talking about?”

I’m thinking that if I was at a Mass in any of the Eastern Churches or other Christian groups that use arabic, I certainly wouldn’t be confused.

But if I was confused, and asked, I would hope they would explain the deal to me in charity. Likewise if I was an arabic speaker and used the term around those who aren’t used to arabic speakers, I would hope any would ask for clarification with charity. And I hope I would reply to them charity, expalining that this is what arabic Christians use, and used before Islam.

I don’t see how one group should get to define what term another group uses for God. Especially if there is a longer tradition of using it for the one expected to change.

In many contexts, the English word ‘God’ is used. ‘Hashem’ is used also, to avoid the problems being described, and to signify a Jewish reference. Unless one is reading a Holy or educational text, I can’t think of a use of ‘El’ or its cognates in English.

I believe ‘Allah’ is used where common English uses ‘God’, and where modern Hebrew would use ‘Elohim’. There might be good reason an Arabic speaker might want to avoid advertising a Jewish reference point.

Cicero, twenty generations of Arabic-speaking Christians used the word "Allah" (the Arabic word for God) for 500+ years before Muhammad was even born. They have more historic right to he word than Muslims do.

There are hundreds of thousands of Arabic-speaking Christians in Syria and Lebanon, but it's probably nearly a non-issue in Malaysia. I wonder what ticked off the sultan? Christian missionary activity?

“Indonesia has had contact with the Arab world for hundreds of years, prior to the emergence of Islam in Indonesia. Most contact was with spice traders, but the first Arab settlements in the archipelago may date from the fifth century” -—wiki

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